SOMSA - Midwifery Education: A new dawn- seeking new approaches towards 2015 and beyond Elgonda Bekker, SOMSA &ICM Education Standing Committee 1

Midwifery education new developments International standards for midwifery education International standards for midwifery regulation Essential competencies for basic midwifery education Education standing committee Skills/equipment lists Nov

Triple Gap identified by SOWMR Competencies: Not enough fully qualified midwives Coverage EMOC services- poorly staffed and equipped Access Access issues from women’s perspectives are often not addressed 3

Importance of triad of ERA Education, regulation and professional association Education: produce midwives proficient to practice all the essential competencies Optimal standards are unmet Need to improve: Curricula, faculty, educational resources and supervised clinical practice 4

Recommendations from report Regulatory bodies: Protect the title “midwife” and establish scope of practice Establish criteria for entry, educational standards and practice competencies Accredit schools and education criteria License and re-license midwives, maintain codes of ethics, codes of conduct and manages sanctioning 5

Recommendations from report cont. Midwifery training institutions: Curricula that produce graduates proficient in all essential competencies Use ICM standards to ensure theory- practice balance Recruit faculty, maintain their competencies in midwifery and transformative education Promote research and development of leadership 6

SOMSA Continuing work with SANC, Laws committee- scope of specialist midwife practice Linking with DENOSA- SOMSA not functioning as trade union Resource and advisory capacity 7

Questions 1) Nurse or midwife? 8

2) Does our education address the needs and context? 9

3) Competence: Knowledge, skills, professional behaviour and clinical judgement translated in care 10

Philosophy and model of care 11

Madness? 12

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